Leaders of the Consumer Internet of Things Industry Converge at Philly Tech Week 2016

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Executives from four global leaders in various segments of the Consumer Internet of Things industry participated in an engaging panel discussion on Smart Home adoption and technology trends during this year's Philly Tech Week, the sixth annual celebration of technology and innovation in Philadelphia and its surrounding communities. Featured panelists, representing Consumer IoT companies from the Southeastern Pennsylvania region, included: Eli Baruch, VP of Solution Engineering, ARRIS ARRS; Daniel Herscovici, SVP & GM, Xfinity Home, Comcast Cable CMCSA; Michael Smith, Vice-President of Residential Sales, Lutron Electronics; and, Michael Balog, Ph.D. CTO, Zonoff. Sponsored by Philly IoT Meetup and moderated by Mari Silbey, Senior Editor of Light Reading, the panel provided an update on the Consumer IoT industry and featured presentations from each panelist about how their companies are approaching the Smart Home market.

Southeastern Pennsylvania is home to many global leaders in various segments of the Consumer Internet of Things market, companies that are shaping what smart homes and home automation will be and how it will be delivered. The focus of this year's panel was to increase awareness about the region as a center of Consumer IoT innovation and leadership as well as further educate the local technology community on the challenges facing the smart home market and the future of adoption. These admirable endeavors are part of the ongoing mission of the panel's sponsor:

"The Philly IoT Meetup is committed to building and connecting a thriving Internet of Things community in the Philadelphia region by putting on monthly educational events and sponsoring premiere IoT events like the Building the Smart Home panel," said Lenny Kravets, co-founder of Philly IoT Meetup.

Skillfully moderated by Light Reading's Mari Silbey, the panel touched on topics ranging from the delicate relationship between user experience and consumer feedback to the crucial role big data plays in Smart Home adoption and future opportunities for monetization. Consumer adoption emerged as the dominant topic of the nearly one hour discussion, with the panelists coming to the consensus that while Smart Home technology is here, mass consumer adoption will be determined by a number of factors including ease of use, low latency, seamless interoperability and trust.

After an enlightening and entertaining panel discussion and round of audience Q&A, panelists left attendees with some concluding thoughts on the Consumer IoT market:

"We believe that ease of use and adaptability to consumer life-styles are the keys for mass adoption of smart home technologies. ARRIS home gateways combine multiple IoT technologies into a single IoT hub for the home allowing seamless integration of multiple vendors and devices," said Eli Baruch, VP of Slution Engineering, ARRIS. "Such a single gateway, combined with intuitive on-TV display and natural language voice control, make activation and creation of new services easy."

"Home security is no longer just about life safety. Consumers want simple smart home solutions that provide peace of mind, whether that means knowing their children are home safe, a package was delivered, or the garage door is closed," said Daniel Herscovici, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Xfinity Home, Comcast Cable. "It is this redefinition that is prompting upgrades from legacy to connected security, such as Xfinity Home."

"The future of the connected home is here," said Michael Smith, Vice-President of Residential Sales, Lutron Electronics. "Panels like 'Building the Smart Home' are essential to continuing the conversation around home technology. Advanced light control is not a luxury, it's a lifestyle."

"As the Smart Home mass market emerges with multiple points of entry, adoption will rely on an increasing mix of applications, devices and platforms," said Michael Balog, Ph.D. CTO of Zonoff. "The concerns such as interoperability, low latency and reliability that this panel touched on today are shared by the Zonoff team and we, along with the rest of the Consumer IoT industry, will need to continue to address them moving forward."

To learn more about Philly IoT Meetup and join their upcoming events, please go to http://www.meetup.com/Philadelphia-Internet-of-Things-Meetup/ .

About Philly IoT Meetup

Philly IoT Meetup is a group for anyone interested in creating, building, learning, working, participating in, or just talking about the Internet of Things (IoT). We are building a community of IoT enthusiasts in Philadelphia and our surroundings. Our goal is to bring in speakers from Philadelphia and beyond to educate and inspire our members so that Philly can develop as a hub of IoT innovation. We welcome all who are interested in learning more about the future of tech.

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